Has MasterChef had its chips?

John and Gregg - has the MasterChef format been overcooked? Photograph: BBC

It's not easy to justify giving Gordon Ramsay any extra airtime – but in this particular instance, his appearance on television screens might be something of a relief. If only so he could utter the immortal words: MasterChef spin-offs. Done.

Certainly somebody needs to have a (fairly forceful) word with the BBC about its desire to flog the MasterChef format until there exist no social groups without their own edition. Amateurs, professionals and celebrities already have their MasterChef brands – and, as we learned on Monday, nine to 12 year-olds will be the latest to get the opportunity to CHANGE THEIR LIFE in television's TAFFEST cookery contest. How much deep, rich, velvety foodiness can any audience want?

Admittedly, Gregg the Egg and John Torode have not necessarily been lined up for the kids' version – and as Michel Roux Jr proved in the Professionals last year, the introduction of new presenters can be a marvellous thing – but generally the more spin-offs there are, the less special any of the programmes seem. There is, after all, a limit to how many times you can see a piece of perfectly cooked fish, or a pudding that Gregg would like to dive into. And I – a MasterChef superfan – am worryingly close to it. Gregg and John have become such parodies of themselves, you wonder if they're still physically capable of whispering.

So what's the answer? I reckon it goes two ways: either preserve the core MasterChef brand and its fanbase by ditching the spin-offs entirely – or at least limiting them to one every couple of years – or just totally go for broke and exploit the format until there is literally no one who hasn't done the invention test. Student MasterChef perhaps, with a limited budget and extra alcohol; Senior MasterChef, for people who have retired and now want to run their own bistro instead of settling for enjoying not going to work. Diet MasterChef, for when Gregg and John look like they're actually about ready to pop.

Sod it – why not just make a MasterChef digital channel and be done with it. I'd give it about six months tops before extreme boredom saw viewing figures drop off a cliff. Which come to think of it, is probably about right for all the spin-offs cluttering up the BBC already - not that it will stop the inevitable announcement of various new versions. I await the arrival of Teenage MasterChef, where John and Gregg have to adopt a language of grunts to express their admiration, with, uh, anticipation.